Timberwolves Power Rankings: Rough nights and record breakers

Your personal rewind on the best and worst happenings across a packed week of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball.

It was a dramatic week down in down in Wolves world.

By the end of the four-game power rankings week the Timberwolves had won two and lost two, taking their overall record to 43-33. That has them sitting seventh in a constantly changing Western Conference … for now.

The fun began in New York as the Wolves looked to capitalize on an underwhelming Knicks unit. Despite a few scares, Minnesota did walk away with a 108-104 victory.

Next up was a big game against Philadelphia, but this time the joy wasn’t going the good guy’s way. The 76ers were dominant and aside from a late end-of-bench run, Minnesota showed little fight and eventually fell 120-108.

Things were meant to get easier when the tanking Memphis Grizzlies rolled into town for the third game of the power rankings stretch, but … they didn’t. In fact, things got ugly in Target Center as the carnage from Philadelphia spilled over into a must-win game. The disaster ended with a score of 101-93 in favor of the Grizzlies.

Being a Timberwolves fan seemed pretty somber at that point, but it got touch rosier when the Timberwolves took care of business at home against the Atlanta Hawks.

Including a franchise night for the Twin Cities’ franchise player, check out every mouth-watering moment of his 56 point outburst below:

The Timberwolves importantly won the game, but it was overshadowed by perhaps the greatest single game performance Minnesota basketball has ever seen.

Let’s see who else helped and hurt the team this week…

*All players must play 15 total minutes to qualify. Season and weekly stats provided by NBA.com*

8. Jamal Crawford (4)

Season stats: 20.4 MPG – 10.4 PPG – 2.3 APG – 1.2 RPG – 41.8% FG – 33.9% 3PT – 90% FT

Weekly stats: 25.7 MPG – 11.5 PPG – 2.8 APG – 1.5 RPG – 35.6% FG – 35% FG – 87.5% FT

Despite falling to the bottom spot in our power rankings this week, Jamal Crawford’s increased minutes this week didn’t produce horrible results. It was the efficiency that let him down, however.

As we have figured out by now, the 38-year-old has red-hot and ice-cold stretches – as well as everything in between – with his confidence never wavering. This time around it was one of the less effective versions of J-Crossover, even if Tom Thibodeau didn’t seem to notice.

He started off with 13 points against the Knicks. While his 3-for-6 shooting from downtown was helpful, the 2-for-8 he went from inside the arc was just as harmful. Crawford backed that up with another 13 points and one assist, but once again he shot just 4-for-10 from the field and turned the ball over a ghastly four times in his 21 minutes.

He did his this shot that you would be hard pressed to see in a game of H.O.R.S.E, for what it’s worth:

They poor shooting week continued for the veteran in the disastrous Memphis loss, he connected on just 3-of-12 from the field for his 10 points, dishing out three assists and grabbing three boards to round out a pretty underwhelming night for the entire Wolves roster.

Crawford was again quiet in the week’s finale, posting 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3PT) and four assists, capping off a pretty forgettable power rankings stanza.

It is imperative that the Wolves get the best version of Jamal Crawford heading into a crazy final run of regular season games.

7. Tyus Jones (8)

Season stats: 17.7 MPG – 4.9 PPG – 2.8 APG – 1.1 SPG – 46.1% FG – 33.9% 3PT – 90.3% FT

Weekly stats: 16.6 MPG – 4.5 PPG – 5.2 APG – 1.3 SPG – 41.7% FG – 100% FT

Much like Jamal Crawford, Tyus Jones’ position is probably not indicative of how much his play impact the team. With up-and-down minute totals and effectiveness however, a one spot rise will have to suffice.

The 21-year-old started off the stretch with five points, four rebounds and four assists against New York. Efficiency wasn’t an issue in this one as all five of his points came from the free throw line.

Next up was another Tyus Jones special, he posted 11 points, three rebounds, six assists and three steals. Amazingly, the Timberwolves were 14 points better than the 76ers in the diminutive guard’s 25 minutes on the floor, despite losing by double-digits nearly the entire night.

This showing prompted some comments from Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson on the usually low bench minutes:

However, it seemingly fell directly onto deaf ears.

Jones registered a season-low five minutes and 51 seconds of playing time in the brutal Grizzlies loss. He failed to score, but he did throw out two helpers in less time than it takes to shower in the morning.

This one is on Coach Thibs.

Thibodeau did let Tyus Stones off the leash in the Hawks tilt, as he cracked the 20 minute threshold (21:14) for the second time this power rankings week. The reserve struggled with his shot, scoring just two points on 1-6 shooting but was a dime machine, finishing with a season-high nine in the win.

Barring the Memphis debacle, it was a quietly great week from Tyus Jones. (Which also included his younger brother Tre Jones being named Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball as the top high school star in the state.)

Hopefully, big brother Tyus can continue to get the sort of minutes he received in the Sixers and Hawks matchups, and show the same results.

6. Gorgui Dieng (9)

Season stats: 17.2 MPG – 6.0 PPG – 4.6 RPG – 0.5 BPG – 47.7% FG – 27.8% 3PT – 77.6% FT

Weekly stats: 17.6 MPG – 8.8 PPG – 5.0 RPG – 1.0 BPG – 53.6% FG – 40% 3PT – 100% FT

After nearly a month of warming the bottom power rankings spot, Gorgui Dieng finally busted out of his slump.

The Senegalese giant had connected on a frightening 31.6 percent of his shots in the 10 games before this four-game stretch, resulting in a consistent drop in minutes. Dieng seems like he has finally turned it around though.

The cold patch looked like it could be coming to an end in the first game of the week, he scored four points (2-3 FG), grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots in his 13 minutes.

He definitely did come to an end in the Philadelphia game; the G-Train steamrolled the Sixers to the tune of 15 points, 11 rebounds and another two swats. Like Tyus Jones, Dieng was a huge positive on the court, finishing with a plus-minus of 6+.

The 29-year-old’s seven points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT) were more helpful than the rest of the shortened bench unit in the Memphis loss, but failing to grab a rebound in 13 minutes is something Minnesota fans won’t want to see very often

Long range bombs like this one will excite fans, however:

The big man bounced back in the important Atlanta win, hitting nine points (4-6 FG), pulling down six rebounds and picking off two steals. After his usually solid mid-range game began to fall apart this season, Dieng has finally started to work his way into the paint and to the free throw line for easy buckets.

If G-Train can keep up this level of play, he will be a huge cog in the Timberwolves playoff wheel.

5. Nemanja Bjelica (6)

Season stats: 20.2 MPG – 7.0 PPG – 4.1 RPG – 0.7 SPG – 48.2% FG – 42.7% 3PT – 79.1% FT

Weekly stats: 31.2 MPG – 9.0 PPG – 5.0 RPG – 1.0 SPG – 46.7% FG – 37.5% 3PT – 50% FT

Nemanja Bjelica started out steamy hot when Jimmy Butler first went down with his meniscus injury before cooling off to an uncomfortably cool level, this week he middled out to the kind of performances we expected from him sans Jimmy G. Buckets.

The big Serbian sandwiched two subpar outings in between two fantastic nights, which was just enough to keen a grasp on the final power rankings starting five position.

Bjelica kicked off proceedings with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block against the Knicks. He shot hit six of his eight field goal tries, including 3-5 from downtown. This is the premium Bjelly game – knocking down triples, rebounding his position and playing sturdy defense.

He also pulled out this piece of brilliance, a potentially game saving hustle play that will even make Tom Thibodeau smile:

The next two outings were forgettable ones for the 29-year-old. He posted just five points (2-9 FG, 1-4 3PT) and four rebounds against the Sixers and backed that up with a scoreless night in Memphis, which pretty much encapsulates the Wolves night as a whole.

Bjelica quickly scuttled out of his funk against Atlanta with another classic Bjelly night. He put up 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 3PT), grabbed six boards, dished out three dimes and grabbed a steal. When Bjelica is confident and firing like this, he becomes a serious weapon on the offensive end and his size, length and sneaky-good athleticism give him a defensive edge too.

It will be interesting to see if Bjelica has earned himself more rotation minutes when Jimmy Butler inevitably returns.

4. Jeff Teague (3)

Season stats: 33.0 MPG – 13.8 PPG – 7.1 APG – 1.5 SPG – 44.2% FG – 37.1% 3PT – 83.8% FT

Weekly stats: 32.2 MPG – 12.3 PPG – 6.8 APG – 1.0 SPG – 32.6% FG – 23.1% 3PT – 94.1% FT

For the most part Jeff Teague has been a major piece of the Timberwolves puzzle this season, especially lately as they wait for their superstar to return.

This power rankings stanza however, the point guard was trending in the opposite direction. With a vital six remaining games, that isn’t a good sign.

Teague stumbled out of the gate with 10 points (3-13 FG) and eight assists in the New York victory. The Wolves were outgunned by 14 points with JT0 on the floor, a stunning statistic considering he played 33 minutes and his team won by four points.

Positive news: He can definitely still dime.

The 29-year-old was disastrous in the Sixers tilt, posting just four points and three assists. This time around the Wolves were beaten by a whopping 26 points with Teague on the floor, thanks in part to his porous 1-8 shooting and 92.3 offensive rating. 

He put what was possibly his worst performance all season behind him immediately, as the one lone bright spot in a dark night against the Grizzlies. The speedy point man dropped 25 points (7-13 FG, 1-1 3PT), seven assists and two steals. This time he was a plus on the floor (+1), turning around his bad form quickly like a true veteran does.

Teague rounded out the week with 11 points (4-12 FG, 2-6 3PT), eight assists and two steals. One of those dimes came after he put Josh Magette in the wash and dry spin cycle:

Jeff Teague has had a polarizing season, and this week was no different. However there is no denying how important he is to the Timberwolves playoff hopes.

3. Taj Gibson (5)

Season stats: 33.5 MPG – 12.3 PPG – 7.1 RPG – 0.7 BPG – 58.4% FG – 20.6% 3PT – 76.9% FT

Weekly stats: 33.9 MPG – 12.5 PPG – 6.8 RPG – 0.8 BPG – 65.5% FG – 80% FT

If there was ever a week to demonstrate Taj Gibson’s extraordinary consistency, it’s this one.

Mr. Clean posted near on his exact season stat line over the four-game span, with some added efficiency to boot. As if shooting over 58 percent for the season wasn’t good enough, the 32-year-old bumped his field goal percentage up to over 65 percent (!) for the power rankings week.

Very impressive, impressive enough to earn himself a top three spot heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Gibson started off the week with a bang, notching 18 points and seven rebounds against the Knicks in his regular gritty fashion. He backed that up with a pretty quiet night in Philadelphia, although his seven points came on an efficient 3-5 shooting and his five rebounds were a solid effort in just under 24 minutes.

Mr. Clean was back up to his old tricks against the Grizzlies, one of the rare Wolves that were. He filled the box score with 18 points, eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Including this denial that send shock waves through the Target Center:

https://twitter.com/simmytbone/status/978437511780421635

Gibson finished off this power rankings edition with another seven-point, seven-rebound night against the Hawks, playing his part quietly and efficiently (3-4 FG) while Karl-Anthony Towns feasted.

Gibson has been incredibly good this season – probably better than anyone (except Thibs) expected – and the Timberwolves will need every bit of that same consistency heading into the biggest April in over a decade.

2. Andrew Wiggins (2)

Season stats: 36.2 MPG – 18.1 PPG – 4.3 RPG – 1.9 APG – 44.4% FG – 33.1% 3PT – 64.5% FT

Weekly stats: 37.1 MPG – 17.0 PPG – 7.0 RPG – 2.8 RPG – 41.9% FG – 25% 3PT – 61.1% FT

It wasn’t Andrew Wiggins’ most electric power rankings outing, but it didn’t really seem to be that way for most of the Wolves this week.

The 23-year-old didn’t score as well as the fans and coaching staff would expect, but he worked hard on the boards, moved the ball well and played pretty solid defense.

Maple Jordan started proceedings with a rare night against New York. He finished with 17 points (5-15 FG, 2-7 3PT), 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sealing Wiggins’ first double-double for the entire season.

He backed that up with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes against the Sixers. His 7-for-17 shooting, however, was below par – a theme of this Andrew Wiggins week. The max-contract man shot 7-for-17 from the field again against the Grizzlies, this time dropping 18 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two dimes in a horrendous loss.

The night included just one 3-pointer for Wiggins, but it was his 104th for the season, a new career-best:

Wiggins finished off his week against Atlanta with increased efficiency when shooting, but his supporting statistics dropped off. This could be in part due to Towns’ historic performance, but it would be good to see him keep the boards and assists up regularly.

He finished with 17 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. Capping off a week that was really neither here nor there for the Canadian.

Maple Jordan will need to play a *bit* more like his namesake if he wants to make a deep playoff run in 2018.

1. Karl-Anthony Towns (1)

Season stats: 35.4 MPG – 21.2 PPG – 12.2 RPG – 1.5 BPG – 54.5% FG – 43.8% 3PT – 86.5% FT

Weekly stats: 36.1 MPG – 27.5 PPG – 12.8 RPG – 2.0 BPG – 48.6% FG – 57.1% 3PT – 81.3% FT

Surprised?

Karl-Anthony Towns has held our power rankings gold medal for several weeks since the Jimmy Butler injury, and it was fairly easy to guess he would stay comfortable this time around.

The 22-year-old started the week off with a dominant performance against New York, posting 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. As usual he had it rolling on all three levels offensively, hitting 9-of-16 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point arc.

The All-Star was actually quiet in the two Timberwolves losses in the middle of the power rankings week. He put up just 15 points (3-15 FG, 2-6 3PT), 11 rebounds and a block against a rampant Joel Embiid and the 76ers before another slightly underwhelming 15-point, 12-rebound, six-assist, three-block night against Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies.

After the below par stretch, the buck stopped at Towns in the Hawks tilt. On a historic level.

Towns broke the franchise record for points (52) that was held by Mo Williams of all people, dropping a career-high 56 points (19-32 FG, 6-8 3PT) while adding 15 rebounds, four assists and a block in a night that will linger in the memory of Timberwolves fans for a long, long time.

Here is the heavily guarded 3-point basket that gave Towns sole possession of the prestigious record:

After a night like that, there should be little doubt in Karl-Anthony Towns mind that he can dominate on any given night. The Timberwolves will need him too as they break their long awaited playoff drought.

Next: Joe Smith Interview: Former No. 1 pick talks Wolves...

Tune in next week to see who tops the power rankings!